In an instant, Zhou Peigong became the first celebrity of the Hunan and Hubei Guild Hall. Thinking of this encounter, he felt angry, funny and helpless: no one paid attention to the articles of the world, a few idle poems became food capital, the confused and rigid examiner was not as eye-catching as a salt merchant who did business, and the things in this world were really weird! He came out of the upper room with two hundred taels of silver from Liu Bingchen and a gift for the gods, and a group of people sent them to the entrance of the hall to say goodbye, hoping that he would "come again", Zhou Peigong went down the stairs with a smile, and was worried about Azo, and when he paced to the front yard to see, Azuo's tofu brain stall had already been collected.

Zhou Peicheng hesitated, saw a group of people crowded under the east corridor to see something, and when he got closer, it was a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, holding a pipa in her arms and trying out the strings. Her two big twinkling eyes were very attentive, revealing a childish spirit, but also very assertive. She adjusted the strings, and then spoke in a thick Wu language, and said, "Rank Gentleman-" The pipa sound suddenly burst like a bean, and she sang:

Nongben is a poor daughter of Wu, and there is Nong's courtyard on the shore of Xizi Lake. There is no Luo Qi and gold and silver, and five acres of thin fields are used to make a living - thousands of miles of clouds and waterways are far away, and my sixty-year-old grandmother has white hair. A Hong girl, delicate and unbearable at the age of twelve, why did Nong come to Beijing?

It's not that Ah Hong is not filial, it's not that Ah Hong is too affectionate, Ah Hong has known calligraphy since childhood, and is willing to go to Xiao Tiying before school!

Then there was another rush of strings, and everyone who listened was stunned. Kangxi sat in the tea garden and saw Zhou Peigong's figure from the crack in the crowd, so he paced out and stood side by side with Zhou Peigong to listen. Xiaohong sang tactfully:

On March 3, Yang Liuqing, Lingyin Temple went on a pilgrimage. Suddenly, the obedient woman of the Wu family came to the front and back. The sedan chair was like a cloud and a horse like a dragon, the slave whip was fierce and fierce, and thirty-four people fell into the water and drowned my father and brother alive......

Xiaohong sang this, and the bean-sized tears flowed out. The audience around was embarrassed. Kangxi knew that he was singing about real people and facts: the Hangzhou general had played a fold last year, but the Hangzhou prefect hesitated to wait and see, causing the main culprit Wu Mei and her husband Wang Yongning to calmly flee to Wuhua Mountain, and the court could not arrest them. Kangxi thought of this, and his face was immediately covered with dark clouds. Xiaohong sang again:

The younger brother was young and ignorant of the world, and went to reason with tears in his eyes. The daughter of the Wu family, who deceived people too much, said: "You have the ability to sue in the underworld, my aunt and grandmother are waiting for your little brute-" Poor young brother Fang Jiuling, his head hit the bridge stone and turned red.

When Zhou Peigong heard this, his hair stood on end, and he asked loudly, "Who is this Wu family girl?" Sue her! "Gentleman!" Xiaohong cried out miserably, and sang even more sadly:

Zhentai Mansion and the Three Law Divisions, my uncle went to beat the drum to complain about his grievances, and heard that her father's surname was Wu and the prince - the soul was out of the body without saying a word, pushing left and right like grinding, and detaining my uncle in prison! The slave family has nowhere to complain about their grievances - come to the capital with a pipa in his arms. I don't tell the official, and I don't frighten the Dragon Court, I just ask the gentleman to hear clearly: there is only one day in the sky, but why does a country have two courts, and the royal family eats my family's endowment, when will the clouds be cleared for me!

The singing came to an abrupt end, and a group of spectators were stunned by the wood carving clay sculptures. Kangxi was drenched in sweat, his back was itchy and unbearable, and it took a while to settle down, turn around and pat Zhou Peigong on the shoulder and say, "Mr. Zhou, take a step to speak." Then he turned back and instructed Tuhai: "This girl has collected money and asked her to come to the tea garden and sing us another part." ”

Zhou Peicheng was full of sadness, he was awakened by this beat, and when he turned around, he saw that it was a young man who was watching Fu Ping, so he asked, "Who is here, is there something wrong with me?" Hesitantly, he followed Kangxi to the tea garden.

"My surname is Long, and my name is Dehai." Kangxi asked Zhou Peigong to sit opposite, asked the guy to make two bowls of tea, and said with a smile, "Shicai is only high and high in the main hall, and he is very admirable." Please come over and talk about it, and you won't be able to give up. Zhou Peigong laughed self-deprecatingly and said: "I'm not a badou, I'm a beggar; They're not heroes, they're just a bunch of dogs! What kind of poem is that, it's good to burn it! Kangxi asked in surprise, "Why?" ”

"Poetry, songs," Zhou Peigong said with a wry smile, "My hundred poems are not as good as a slang song for this little girl!" Speaking of this, he lowered his head sadly and said: "Fang has an eventful autumn today, it is the time when the heroes are shooting the case and making contributions, but I take a few sour tunes to compete with the indecent fighting Fang celebrities to win or lose, change food, what kind of style is this?" Thinking about it, I regret it, where is it worthy of Brother Long's admiration? ”

Kangxi never imagined that he blamed himself so much, but he felt uneasy and inconsolable, so he asked, "Why are you trying to be deposed in this department?" ”

"I'm ashamed to have sinned against him." Zhou Peigong glanced at Kangxi: But seventeen or eighteen years old, his demeanor is serene, his demeanor is down-to-earth and generous, he wears a gray poplin shirt, and he is dressed as an ordinary flag man, but I don't know why he asked this. Zhou Peigong saw that Kangxi didn't seem to have malicious intent, so he sighed: "The article is hateful, only a little more [1]

What's the solution? ”

Kangxi couldn't help but smile, and said: "This examiner is too unreasonable, why don't you just help paste that point?" Zhou Pei said fairly: "Of course, there are people who do that, they all have heads and faces, they have a way, and they have been dotted below, I don't have that ability, and I don't bother to do this." Kangxi said: "This is also true - but why don't you use the Book of Ten Thousand Gold?" ”

"The Book of Ten Thousand Golds!" Zhou Peigong asked, "What book of gold?" ”

Kangxi stared at Zhou Peigong and said meaningfully: "The recipient Mingzhu is to favor the ministers before today's drive, and he must listen to his words and follow his plans; Wu Ciyou, who wrote the letter, is the teacher and friend of the Son of Heaven, and his words have the weight of nine tripods. It's rare for him to have a letter of recommendation from the minister! Why don't you submit such an urgent letter? ”

Zhou Peigong raised his head in surprise, it was the first time he heard Wu Ciyou's true identity, but he didn't know why this young man knew so much, he thought about it and smiled: "The eldest husband should be bright and honest when he takes fame, he can only take it directly, not seek it in a crooked way." Shall I bow my waist to the powerful with a seven-foot body? ”

"Hmm." Kangxi smiled thoughtfully, "Your ambition is the best among my generation of scholars-just helping the people in the hall, listening to you, it seems that you are not only able to write, but also good at martial arts?" ”

"I can't pull up the mountain and carry the tripod." Zhou Peigong said, "But I have been familiar with military books since I was a child, and I do know a little bit about observing the heavens, understanding geography, knowing wind angles, and using strange doors." ”

"Sir has learned dragon slaying, but there is no place to use it." Kangxi listened to his big tone and smiled slightly teasingly, "Isn't there something wrong with the text?" Fang went to peace today and returned to the heart of the four seas, and there was no such thing as a sword soldier! ”

"Taiping?" Zhou Peigong laughed.

"What are you laughing at?"

"There are Rakshasas in the north who plundered the land and burned them, in the west, Geldan colluded with Qinghai-Tibet and claimed to be the king without authorization, in the south, there were three feudatories and separated from Germany, and in the east, Taiwan harassed the maritime frontier, and the decree of the Son of Heaven did not go out of Jiangbei, and the city of Jinghua was far away, surrounded by smoke and desolate in all directions.

Kangxi listened, bowed his head and thought for a while, and then laughed and said: "According to Mr. So, there is no hope of unifying the world?" ”

"Not really." Zhou Peigong retorted, "There is another side, that little girl sings well, and she doesn't want the sky to have two days and the people to have two masters." The people's heart is the heart of heaven, what the people want will be followed, the people are looking forward to a good emperor, and there is no distinction between Huayi, the people are tired of war, bitter separation, this is the trend of the times. From this point of view, it was only a matter of a few years for the three feudatories to dare to go against the will of heaven and destroy him. Zhou Peigong said, Kangxi nodded, saw Zhou Peigong stretched out his hand to get tea, he was thirsty, and hurriedly said: "Please use tea-" I was about to ask further, but saw Tuhai hurriedly come in and whispered a few words to Kangxi.

"Bastard! It's strange that you've been out there for so long! Kangxi was already in a trance when he heard Zhou Peigong speak, and he forgot that he was the emperor of Weifu's visit. At this time, listening to Tu Hai Song, the Criminal Department actually ordered Shuntianfu to take Xiaohong, and couldn't help but be furious, and commanded sharply: "Tell him to climb in for me!" As he spoke, he got up as soon as he pressed the table, but because the table was unstable, a fine porcelain lid cup fell to the ground with a "bang" and fell to pieces.

Yin Zhen of Shuntianfu crawled in on all fours, which alarmed all the tea customers in the tea garden, and they were shocked one by one. Wei Dongting, the guards guarding the surroundings, saw that Kangxi had revealed his identity, so he was busy arranging defenses and driving away idlers, and Suo Etu and Mingzhu waited at the gate of the tea garden. Looking at Shuntianfu Yin, who was wearing a four-grade lapis lazuli top, crawling straight to the tea table, Zhou Peigong's face was snow-white and dumbfounded, until Nafu Yin reported: "Long live, slave Xiahou Jun knocks!" Only then did he come to his senses, hurriedly took a step back and bowed down, and said: "Zhou Peigong didn't know that the Holy Monarch was coming, and his words were so wild, please long live the crime!" ”

"Get up and talk!" Kangxi also felt that he was out of shape at this time, and calmed down for a moment before saying, "Xiahou Jun, who asked you to take people?" ”

"Long live the return," Xiahou Jun replied tremblingly, "This is a constitutional decree issued by the Criminal Department and the Ministry of Rites in conjunction with the Constitution, saying that a people's daughter, Ah Hong, filed a complaint for injustice, and refused to return to her hometown after being rejected, playing and singing a small song in Beijing, and confusing the public, so that the servants would take her and send her back to her hometown......"

"Obscenity?" Kangxi sneered, "None of you who really confuse the crowd have gotten it, but you are shaking your majesty on a weak woman!" What is the use of the imperial court raising these wine bags and rice bags? - Let Red in! ”

Xiahou Jun was so frightened that he didn't dare to come out, and bowed down again and again and said yes.

Little Red came in. This girl is very smart, and she has already guessed that the young man sitting above has an extraordinary background, and she must be older than the old men of the Criminal Department, so she squatted upwards for two thousand blessings, and said: "The adult summons the little girl, I don't know what song to listen to?" As he spoke, seeing that the tea juice on the table was dripping, he hurriedly stepped forward to dry it carefully, picked up the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, stabilized the legs of the tea table, and said: "This is like Kangxi's country - let it be stable......"

"You...... Say what? Kangxi's voice trembled with excitement.

"The little girl said that this tea table is well supported, just like Kangxi's country, steady and steady." Xiaohong's Hangzhou dialect is crisp and crisp, and it sounds very pleasant.

Kangxi stood up and paced back and forth, he didn't want to listen to any small songs anymore. This sentence sounds a thousand times better than the music of Huang Zhong Da Lu Juntian played by the enshriners of the Changyin Pavilion of the Internal Affairs Office! After walking a few steps on the green brick floor, Kangxi stopped and asked, "Your family is a farmer?" ”

"Hmm." Xiaohong replied in a low voice, "A total of five acres of land." Two acres of tea, three acres of fields. ”

"You sing very well to this tune." Kangxi said, "Is it all true? ”

"It's true." Xiaohong said with big watery eyes, "The people's daughter has already broken her family, and there is nothing to be afraid of, so why lie and deceive people?" ”

"Why is the Hangzhou government detaining your uncle?"

"If the case is not closed, they will not let him go."

Kangxi exhaled deeply, and asked again: "You came to Beijing to accuse, and the three law divisions can't deal with it, why don't you go to Dengwen Drum?" "Dengwen drum is set up on West Chang'an Street, which is specially designed for the people to knock on the royal complaint when they have grievances. Xiaohong listened to the silence for a long time, and said, "Don't dare to sue the royal girl." Kangxi asked strangely, "Then why?" ”

Xiaohong's eyes were sour, tears fell, and he said after a while: "The slave has already thought about it, the murderer is in Wuhua Mountain, and the court can't hold it, the little girl went to the emperor Lao Tzu to complain, that is, the state of the people's daughter, and she has to travel three thousand miles, how can my old grandmother live?" ”

Kangxi's heart sank suddenly. Although this Xiaohong is young and full of loyalty and filial piety, she can't handle her unjust case as the Son of Heaven! After thinking for a while, Kangxi asked again, "Why are you singing here?" ”

"The slave wants to earn some coils and return to Jiangnan." Xiaohong replied, "Besides, singing bitterness makes my heart feel better...... This is Beijing, maybe the emperor heard the little girl's tune and made the decision for the little girl earlier. ”

"He's heard it." Kangxi's voice was a little hoarse, and he turned around and ordered Tu Hai, "Tell Suo Etu to come in." ”

"This girl is going back to Hangzhou." Kangxi said to Suo Etu, "You send someone to send it back by boat and tell Zhejiang Zhensi that if someone is embarrassed, harm her, but they ask!" ”

"Wow!" Suo Etu hurriedly agreed, and seeing that Kangxi had no other instructions, he said to Xiaohong: "Let's go!" ”

"Slow!" Kangxi waved his hand, and saw that there were four treasures of the study room specially prepared for guests on a small table in the corner of the wall, so he went over to write a word, took out the small seal he carried with him, covered it, handed it to Xiaohong, and said: "It's not easy for you to go back to make a living, you can take this piece of paper back to Hangzhou County Order, exempt your family from donations, and ask him to fund you more, and you can live a good life." ”

"The little girl is illiterate, and the little songs are all made up by someone." Xiaohong took the note, looked at it upside down, and said, "How useful can this note be?" ”

"It works!" Kangxi laughed, and even the hapless prefect couldn't help but snicker.

"Nong is really a good person, what is Nong's name? Tell me, I'll go back and give Nong Li the Immortal Tablet! ”

"Nong will find out when he goes back." Kangxi learned from Xiaohong's tone and smiled, "Nong is right, the imperial court can't handle Nong's case at the moment, but it will definitely be done for Nong - there is no need to set up any immortal tablets, when it's done, when I go to Jiangnan Nong's house as a guest, invite me to a cup of Nong's family's good tea, okay?" ”

Seeing Suo Etu go out with Xiaohong, Kangxi turned his face and asked Xiahou Jun: "This is what you said to confuse the public?" Go down and think about it, you tell the ministry yourself, and you will be fined for half a year! Xiahou Jun didn't expect Kangxi's punishment to be so light, he was stunned at first, and then he agreed to go.

"Since you claim to be a soldier, I'm going to test you." Kangxi sat down next to him, and Zhengse said to Zhou Peigong, "You just stand and answer." ”

"Yes." Zhou Peigong bowed down and replied, "The minister has never said that he knows the soldiers. Soldiers, fierce and dangerous, how can you lightly talk about knowing soldiers? Zhao Kuo and Ma Jian are familiar with military books, and they talk endlessly about military affairs, although Zhao Hao and Zhuge can't be difficult - the soldiers are defeated and the laughter of the ages. Therefore, there is no permanent war, there is no way to make a soldier, and the magic of use is to be single-minded, and then a few soldiers can be used. ”

"According to you, even Sun Tzu's Art of War can't be used?" Kangxi asked in surprise.

"Although Sun Tzu's Art of War has a principle of using troops that is not easy through the ages," Zhou Peigong calmly replied, "but the world only reads its meaning and does not understand its essence." Both sides read it, but there were victories and defeats. If you know change, you win, and if you keep the usual, you will lose, and that's it. ”

"Well," Kangxi nodded and said, "You talk about the way of the general." ”

"For the way of the general," Zhou Peigong said solemnly, "the arms have not been raised, and there will be no hunger; If the military well is not drawn, it will not be thirsty; When the drum sounds, you will not remember your life...... This is all the usual thing. For the generals to conquer on behalf of the sky, to have a way to cut down the non-way, a flag is raised, the country is spent millions of dollars, and the three armies are driven to the unpredictable place of life and death. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faith, it is okay for me, but not for the enemy. The enemy should be violent, enticed, deceitful, and cruel, and there is no loyalty or forgiveness. ”

When Kangxi heard this, he interjected and asked, "What kind of general are you willing to be?" ”

"The minister is willing to defeat the general for good!"

"Good and defeated generals?" Kangxi asked in surprise.

"Yes!" Zhou Peigong explained eloquently, "Good defeat of generals and very defeat of generals. Han Xin, Marquis of Huaiyin, and Kong Ming of Shu Han are all good at defeating generals! The so-called art of war is that the good winner does not fight, the good fighter does not fight, the good fighter is not defeated, and the good loser wins in the end - after a small defeat, the army is in formation, penetrates the enemy's situation, and recreates the winning momentum. ”

Kangxi couldn't help laughing, turned his face and asked Tu Haidao: "You have brought a lifetime of soldiers, listen to this scholar's way of talking about soldiers, is there any reason?" ”

Tu Hai stared at Zhou Peigong with both eyes, and admired it very much. Before entering the customs, the "Book of War" he had read was a "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and he had not been exposed to more advanced military theories. ”

Zhou Peigong was encouraged, and couldn't help but be very excited, his eyes were bright, and then he said: "Minister, please use the southern military statement!" ”

The so-called "Southern Military" is self-evidently referring to the three feudatories, Kangxi originally planned to drive back to the palace, but he couldn't help but sit down again, and said with a smile: "The deliberations here are more careful than in the palace, you have the courage to play!" ”

"What will happen to the country once something happens in the south?" Zhou Peigong clasped his hands together and said in a deep voice, "The minister thinks that Yueyang, Jingzhou or Nanjing will be the decisive battle!" ”

"You say detail!" Kangxi pulled the chair forward.

Zhou Peigong's gaze seemed to penetrate the wall and look into the distance. "If the rebels are well dispatched, then they will take Yueyang and Hengyang as the fundamental places, seize Jingxiang, go east to Nanjing, go north along the canal by water, and insert Wanluo to the Central Plains by land, and join forces in Zhili. But now it seems that they may not be able to do it. Most of the rebels are arrogant and fierce, their minds are not aligned, their commands are not consistent, and the people are not obedient. ”

"What should I do?" Kangxi's gaze was unfathomable, and he looked at Zhou Peigong in ragged clothes faintly.

Zhou Peigong smiled: "If this is really the case, the lord should take Hunan as the decisive battle, and at the same time deploy the Eight Banners along the Yangtze River to stabilize the situation in the north, take Jiangxi and Zhejiang as the eastern front, and Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan as the western front, cut off the enemy's contact, and use all the power of the world to break through each - this jumping clown, dare to be captured without restraint?" Speaking of this, Zhou Peigong paused slightly, and said, "Of course, it is necessary to use both appeasement and grace." The matter of fighting is not just a confrontation between two armies! ”

Kangxi was both nervous and happy when he heard this: Today's visit is worth it, he pondered for a while, and said with a smile: "You stand down and go outside to call Mingzhu and Suo Etu in." ”

Seeing Zhou Peigong come out of the curtain, Suo Etu and Mingzhu knew that the matter was over. Mingzhu had already inquired about it, and this surnamed Zhou took Wu Ciyou's recommendation but refused to vote for him, and he was angry, and when he heard Zhou Peigong's message, he walked in and said with a grin: "Mr. Zhou, congratulations!" This time, we have invited the grace of God, and we can make great progress! Suo Etu glanced at Zhou Peigong, he admired Zhou Peigong's unattached style, but he suspected that he was a grandstander. After a while, he said to Mingzhu: "Let's go in." Where did Zhou Peigong know the thoughts of these two No. 1 favored ministers of Tianzi, he only smiled and was speechless.

After a while, Mingzhu came out to pass the decree: "Give Zhou Pei Gong the title of Jinshi, the title of director of the Reward Department, and lead the Yamen Counselor Military in the Tuhai Infantry Army." As he spoke, he called Mu Zixu to instruct: "Send a message to the officials and revoke Li Mingshan's qualification as a jinshi!" ”

For this latter will, not only Mingzhu, but even Tuhai is also a monk who is at a loss. On the way back to the palace, Tu Hai muttered for a long time, and finally said: "Lord, although Li Mingshan's words are offensive, it seems that he can ...... if he doesn't know the holy face."

"Needless to say," Kangxi said with a smile, "How can I be the master of the unmeasured?" Li Mingshan stood there for so long, and he stepped on a piece of money left by Mr. Word Measurement, did you see it? ”

>[1]

The word "Xuan" can be written as "yuan" or "".